Local heat flux measurements in a hydrogen and methane spark ignition engine with a thermopile sensor

This paper describes an experimental investigation of heat transfer inside a CFR spark ignition engine operated at a constant engine speed of 600 rpm. The heat flux is directly measured under motored and fired conditions with a commercially available thermopile sensor. The heat transfer during hydrogen and methane combustion is compared examining the effects of the compression ratio, ignition timing and mixture richness. Less cyclic and spatial variation in the heat flux traces are observed when burning hydrogen, which can be correlated to the faster burn rate. The peak heat flux increases with the compression ratio, but the total cycle heat loss can decrease due to less heat transfer at the end of the expansion stroke. An advanced spark timing and increased mixture richness cause an increased and advanced peak in the heat flux trace. Hydrogen combustion gives a heat flux peak which is three times as high as the one of methane for the same engine power output.